Georgia Cities Make Their Mark in Nation’s Capital

Every March, thousands of city officials from all over the United States descend on Washington, D.C. for the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference. This year, over 100 Georgia city officials participated and spent their days engaging with peers, experts, federal agencies and Members of Congress on issues impacting their cities.

Georgia Leaders Take the Spotlight

At the General Session on Monday afternoon, March 11, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson NLC’s Second Vice President, moderated a fireside chat on disaster response and resilience with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers.

On Tuesday, March 12, Union City Mayor Vince Williams led a panel discussion on the impact of the American Rescue Plan, the landmark federal legislation that directed federal funding straight to cities as they responded to the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

Georgia Cities Reception Brings Leaders Together

On Monday evening, GMA hosted a Georgia Cities Reception sponsored by Aetna. Remarks were made by GMA First Vice President and College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom, GMA Deputy Executive Director Bill Thornton, and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. City officials expressed support for  Mayor Johnson for his leadership role with NLC that puts him on track to serve as NLC President in 2026.

Advocating for Georgia Cities on Capitol Hill

The conference culminated on Wednesday in the signature Hill Day where Georgia city leaders met with Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, along with their congress member from the House, to elevate local issues at the national level. Discussion centered on:

• protecting the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds

• enhancing disaster response and recovery efforts

• addressing housing shortages through public-private partnerships

A highlight of the conference was NLC’s launch of its America’s Housing Comeback initiative, which aims to close the housing supply gap through strategic private-public and local-federal partnerships.

Building Stronger Local-Federal Partnerships

Among those who made appearances at the NLC Conference were Vice President J.D. Vance,  Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Christine Serrano Glassner, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA).

Glassner’s office serves as the Administration’s principal liaison to local governments, including funneling legislative concerns from local governments to the appropriate federal agency and ensuring open lines of communication during significant events such as disaster emergencies. She introduced a team of IGA Regional Associates that will serve as direct contacts for local governments in their respective region. Chase Wilson is the Associate Director covering the South, including Georgia. The IGA office also plans to host bi-weekly stakeholder calls to update local elected officials on the Administration’s work.

Keeping Georgia’s Voice Heard

As federal policies and funding priorities change, it is important for city leaders to remain engaged and to continue working in an open and collaborative manner with our federal partners to advance local priorities.